Hypodermic solution container



NOV. 25, 1952 SAFFIR 2,619,088

HYPODEIRMIC SOLUTION CONTAINER Filed Nov. 17, 1947 INVENTOR l/MZA'A WZZ ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 25, 1952 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE -HYPODERMIG SOLUTION CONTAINER amt "A. Saffir, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application November 17, 1947., Serial No. 786,343

I, Claims. 1

)This invention relates to a container or bottle ifor hypodermic solutions and more particularly to the type of bottle or container whichis perm-anently sealed, withdrawal being possible by perforating the sealing means with a hypodermic needle and syringe and then aspirating the contents.

When medicaments are to be injected into the veins, subcutaneous tissues, or into the body, their --sterility and freedom from contamination is an understandable desirability. It is also understandable that for-economic reasons it is not always expedient to package individually each single dose required. Thus we find containers of hypodermic solutions holding several doses of a -.particular vac-cine, etc and necessitating the withdrawal thereiromof specifiedamounts at-different times. 7

For example, the sterile container .for intra- -muscular injection of penicillin in oil and wax 116mg approximately 3 ,000,000 units of the drug, whereas the average single dose is 300 ,000 unitsor less. Itfollows that the physician will enter the bottle-and leave it atleast ten times.

Ari-object ofthisinvention-is toenable thephysicianto inject medicaments and such into the body frcm a container which will give him :accurate doses. Accurate dosing is of importance. In many-cases, amounts iniected depend on body weight or on age. In a child, for instance, amounts would be smaller. U nderdosing defeats its purpose and overdosing can be disastrous.

In the present art, the measuring of the amount of solution is done with a calibrated syringe. This means proves accurate only as long-as no air is introducedinto thesyringe and when the physician or user can readily watch his markings while engaged in drawing up his solution.

Should air be drawn up into the syringe, as it frequently is, it must beexpelled, thecontainer re-entered and the shortage corrected by a further amount of solution being added to the contents already in the syringe. Too much solution requires that the user return the surplus quantity to the original container, preferably before withdrawing his needle, to avoid the extra entry.

stances-everybit of the solution is needed, asin the case of vaccines where the'full dosageis reduired for proper-immunization ortreatment.

, Ancther object of this inventionis to enable the user to obtain more uniform solutions. Where solutions require shaking to keep particles in suspension, removal of the contents too slowly-or by stages may result in doses whose consistency is not uniform. It has been noted that watching the calibrations on the Luer syringe while withdrawing medicament from a container slows up the process sufliciently to settle particles and destroy the fine balance of suspension obtained by the shaking. Thus, a patient receiving a later dose from a particular hypodermic solution container may very well receive a more concentrated or less concentrated mixture, depending on the gravity of the a solution involved.

Another object of this invention is toavoid unnecessary reintroduction of the Luer syringe. It can be seen that t reinsert a needle unnecessarily into the sterile contents *of a bottle may be deleterious to the contents by virtue of air introduced in the bottle, precluding the event of -a contaminated needle itself.

Eifortsto replace superfluous withdrawan fluid into the original container are often the cause of the introduction-of air into a heretofore sterile medicament. Since air contains many typeswof bacillus, there are times when injurious :organisms are-carried on the needle.

With this invention which comprises a small container of definite known capacitysuspended withinthe battle as described herein, the physician can insert his needlewith assurance thathe can rapidly and accurately withdraw the -=exact amount :of solution he requires.

'He-has-an-opportunity to measurecfi the-dose he needs by filling entirelyorin part the small containerwithin the original-bottle, When rherremoves the contents of thatrsmal-l compartment he knows he has the correct dose. Thus there is substantially obviated any adverse effect :on the uniformity of medicament dosage particularly where suspended materials are included therein, such adverse effect being attributable to the slow withdrawal of medicament :from its container-in order to permit a careful scrutiny of calibration markings whichmay be provided on the aspirator device, such as a hypodermic syringe, intended -for dos age determination.

On the contrary, pursuant to the .presentinvention, thedosage is predetermined by the recali- ,brated vessel utilized and may be expeditiously withdrawn without any uncertainties concerning the same or regard for markings on the aspirator device. :In this manner, there is included within the dosage -all of the suspended material-commensurate with the uniformly mixed liquid within the container from which the said dosage is segregated.

By the same token, the need for repeated entry into and withdrawal, from the container, of the hypodermic syringe needle or other aspirator device, in order to obtain a predetermined dosage, as well as to conserve the container contents, is substantially avoided. This is particularly significant in connection with therapeutic liquids or medicaments which may be quite costly, and facilitates the retention of said substances in appropriate sterile condition by minimizing deleterious efiects resulting from excessive introduction of air, with possible bacterial contamination attributable thereto as well as to the needle per se. In addition, the solution remaining in the large outer container is untouched by the metal of the needle and undiluted by alcohol or other antiseptics which may be on the needle.

Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a container for hypodermic solutions with a Luer Syringe in position to withdraw medicament.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of another modification.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a medicament container with part of its front wall removed to show attachment of the auxiliary container with- In Figure 1 there is a glass outer container or bottle I, having a lip 3, around which is permanently fastened a closure, such as rubber stopper or cap 2. Suspended from the lip of the bottle at 8 is an auxiliary container or vessel 5, extending into the body ID of the outer container.

At II is a hypodermic needle which has perforated the rubber stopper at 4, entered the accessory compartment I2, where it is resting on the bottom, a position from which it can now withdraw the entire fiuid contents of this auxiliary container. It is understood that the capacity of this small chamber or vessel is equivalent to a dose of the medicament.

When this hypodermic bottle is filled, the medicament in the main body portion II) should not go above the line I4. I

To illustrate the use of this container, let us assume that one cubic centimeter of the medicament in chamber In is required per dose. Then the bottle is labeled to indicate that the small container 5, when filled, will hold exactly one cubic centimeter. The physician needs only to fill, then withdraw the contents of this compartment to obtain the correct dose.

To refill the vessel or receptacle 5 merely turn the bottle either upside down or on its side and the solution will enter it through its top I by means of the passageway I3.

In- Figure 2, the plastic closure, such as stopper or cap engages the neck or rim 2|, determining the end or edge of the bottle or container. There are two thin areas, 22 and 23, which are perforatable by a needle. Suspended from the stopper at its center 24 are two compartments comprising receptacles or chambers 25 and 26, these being desirably separable from the container as shown.

These compartments differ in volume, permitting a selection by the physician of a larger and smaller amount. A smaller amount, as for a child, say, may be withdrawn from receptacle 25,

' a larger amount from receptacle 26, the informa- 4 tion as to the exact size of the dose being furnished by the manufacturer.

The method of filling these compartments is the same as described for the container in Figure 1.

The perspective view in Figure 3 is of a container in which one wall was removed to show the position of the small inside container 30. which is suspended from the neck end or rim 3 I, comprising the edge of the bottle or container. This is before the final rubber seal is placed thereon. The inside container extends downwards from 32 and covers a large area of the neck 33 of the bottle. It follows the form of the neck of the bottle and is shaped to direct the solution into the secondary container 30. Thus the callbrated container 30 is expediently mounted within the bottle and retained in situ therein by the perforatable cap, such as a rubber seal fitted over neck 3| of the bottle. At the same time, the mounting lends itself to the expedient removal of the container when desired, this being similarly applicable to the modification shown in Fig. 2.

The calibrations 34 on this surface graduated inside container 30 enable the physician to secure any of several dosages he desires by merely filling to the desired level and withdrawing in his syringe.

The secondary containers, such as the vessels or receptacles, within these hypodermic solution bottles can be made of any material compatible with the solution to be used. Methyl methacrylate, styrene, cellulose acetate and cellulose nitrate, rubber, or glass may be used. Metals such as stainless steel, aluminum, tin, or any other metal, may be used or a combination of metals and plastics, or glass and metal or any combination of these. Similarly with reference to the closure for the bottle container, while rubber comprises a preferred embodiment thereof, it may be fabricated from any similar type of material generically referred to herein as a plastic. i. e. within the class known as plastics. Thus the expressionplastic closure-as utilized in the appended claims relates to a closure fabricated from a material in the category of a so-called plastic.

While I have described my invention in accordance with desirable embodiments, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the details of construction, and in the combination of parts and materials, without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A device for retaining liquids substantially sealed therein and capable of being removed therefrom without opening the seal comprising a container open at one end thereof and adapted for the retention of liquids therein, a plastic closure for sealing the open end of said container, said closure having at least one portion thereof, above the container opening, perforatable by and adapted for the passage therethrough of a hypodermic type needle, a vessel of predetermined volume content open at one end thereof and removably positioned within the upper por tion of the container, means for supporting said vessel within said container, said supporting means at one end thereof being united with said vessel and extending at its other end to the opening of the container, the said latter end forming a proximate joint with said closure and united with means for sustaining said supporting means relative to the rim at the opening of the container, said vessel when supported within said container having its open end below and in accessible alignment with a perforatable portion of said closure, to permit entry to said vessel by a hypodermic needle penetrating said perforatable portion, said vessel having the complete peripheral surface of at least a portion thereof entirely spaced apart from the internal surface of the container, thereby providing an unimpeded passageway between the vessel and the container, said passageway being adapted to permit the free flow of liquid therethrough.

2. A device as in claim 1, wherein the means for sustaining the supporting means is integral with the latter and comprises a substantially U-shaped end for fittedly seating over the rim at the open end of the container, and the plastic closure is of rubber fabrication and is likewise fittedly seated over the rim of the container above and in contact with the said substantially U-shaped end of the supporting means.

3. A device as in claim 1, wherein the vessel is provided with surface graduations.

4. A device as in claim 1, wherein the plastic closure is provided with a plurality of perforatable portions relatively thin compared with the marginal portions of the closure, and said vessel comprises a plurality of calibrated receptacles of differentiated volume content, each receptacle respectively having its open end in accessible alignment with one perforatable portion of said closure to permit entry to one of said receptacles by a needle penetrating the perforatable portion of the closure with which said receptable is aligned.

5. A device as in claim 1, wherein the closure includes a marginal portion adapted for engaging the rim comprising the open end of the container, and the means for supporting the vessel within the container is united at one end thereof to the vessel and at the other end thereof to the closure. whereby the closure and vessel comprise an integral combination.

6. The combination as in claim 5, wherein the closure is provided with a plurality of portions perforatable by a hypodermic needle, and wherein the vessel comprises a plurality of receptacles, each receptacle being of known volume content and having its open end in accessible alignment with one perforatable portion of said closure to permit entry to one said receptacle by a needle penetrating the perforatable portion of the closure with which said receptacle is aligned.

7. A device as in claim 4, wherein the plastic closure is of rubber fabrication.

8. A combined container closure and calibrated open vessel for isolating a predetermined quantity of liquid from the liquid contents of a container, said closure having a marginal portion adapted for engaging the rim comprising the open end of the container, said closure having at least one portion thereof, adapted for positioning over the opening of the container, readily perforatable by a hypodermic syringe type needle, means united at one end to said calibrated vessel and united at its other end to said closure, said means supporting said vessel below said closure with the vessel opening in accessible alignment with the perforatable portion of the closure, to permit entry to said vessel by a needle penetrating the perforatable portion of the closure.

9. A combination as in claim 8, wherein the closure comprises a plastic material and is provided with a plurality of perforatable portions relatively thin compared with the marginal portions of the closure, and the calibrated vessel comprises a plurality of calibrated chambers of differentiated volume content, each chamber respectively having its open end in accessible alignment with one perforatable portion of said closure to permit entry to one said chamber by a needle penetrating the perforatable portion of the closure with which said chamber is aligned.

10. The combination as in claim 9, wherein the closure is of rubber fabrication.

JACOB A. SAFFIR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,657,168 Marrian Jan. 24, 1928 1,759,866 Roab May 27, 1930 2,371,774 Nosik Mar. 20, 1945 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 617,181 France Nov. 13, 1926 

